Gaming Commission and Penn National make slots deal official

The slots parlor will be built at the site of the existing Plainridge Racecourse harness track in Plainville.

Gerry TuotiGateHouse Media

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Gaming Commission made it official Friday and awarded Penn National the first license under the state’s 2011 expanded gambling law.

A day after conditionally approving Penn National Gaming for the lone slots parlor license in Massachusetts, the commission finalized the vote Friday morning, paving the way for the new facility at the existing Plainridge Racecourse harness track in Plainville.

“I want to congratulate Penn National and welcome them to Massachusetts,” commission chair Stephen Crosby said.

Penn National president and CEO Tim Wilmott said he accepts all the Gaming Commission’s terms and conditions. He expects to open a $225 million slots parlor at Plainridge by spring 2015.

He planned to visit Plainridge later in the day Friday to meet with the track workers, and expects to be onsite again Monday to meet with his construction team. Penn National projects the facility will support approximately 500 permanent jobs and 1,000 construction jobs.

The planned Plainridge Park Casino will feature a new 106,000-square-foot facility integrated with the existing harness racing track. Amenities will include entertainment space, restaurants and 1,250 slot machines. Former football star Doug Flutie has signed on as a partner in a new sports bar and grill.

Unlike the three resort casinos the state plans to license, the slots parlor will not feature table games.

Wilmott said he is unfazed by the prospect of competition and pointed to Penn National’s experience in crowded markets in other states.

“We do know there will be competition here,” Wilmott said. “We operate in a lot of markets where there is intense competition. We think we are going to have a lot of market to prosper in.”

The Gaming Commission’s move to officially award the license Friday ended a week of evaluations and deliberations.

“I am going to vote in favor of this,” commission member James McHugh said moments before the vote Friday.

“Today’s the beginning of the next phase,” McHugh said. “We have chosen an excellent applicant, an excellent licensee, with an excellent gaming plan and excellent history.”

Penn National and Plainridge edged out the Cordish Cos. and Raynham Park.

Raynham Park had partnered with Greenwood Racing in an attempt to build at the site of the former Raynham greyhound track.

The licensing came as casino opponents wage a legal battle, fighting to place an initiative to repeal expanded gambling law on the statewide ballot.

“The process for selecting casinos and slot parlors is no less lopsided, loaded with politics and the influence of deep casino pockets than the legislative process which made this debacle possible,” Repeal the Casino Deal chairman John Ribeiro said in a statement.

Wilmott pledged to oppose any potential ballot initiative and said Penn National has won political victories elsewhere in the country.

“We’re not going to slow down our construction process because of this threat,” he said.

During the application process, both Penn National and Plainridge overcame a series of setbacks. Penn National saw its initial proposal for a gambling facility collapse, first in Springfield, then in Tewksbury.

Plainridge, meanwhile, saw its own bid falter after a Gaming Commission review accused former track president Gary Piontkowski of using $1 million of the track’s funds for personal use.

After breaking ties with Piontkowski, Plainridge formed a partnership with Penn National. Under the agreement, Penn National will buy the racetrack.

The slots license is good for five years with an option to renew.

Once the other gambling licenses are awarded later this year, the Gaming Commission will shift its focus.

“Our primary job is to be the primary regulators,” Crosby said. “We are in the midst of writing those regulations now.”

Gerry Tuoti is the Regional Newsbank Editor for GateHouse Media New England. Email him at gtuoti@tauntongazette.comor call him at 508-967-3137508-967-3137.

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